Psalm 47

A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times

Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C

Reading this psalm, one can almost hear the hip-hop beat. "Clap your hands all you people! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!" Is everyone ready? It's time to dance! It's that deep, loud, bass rhythm that sets off the car alarms as the car cruises down your block. It's that almost primal urge to simply move to the rhythms of joy and wonder. This has the makings of a praise party. It is a time where God's people gather to revel in the sheer joy of claiming their heritage as God's own.

Keith Hewitt

Wilton Lewis stood with his hands on his hips, studying the sanctuary wall, not trusting himself to speak. He wanted to spit, was thwarted by the fact that he was inside, and instead swallowed hard and said, “This is vile. Disgusting and vile.” He turned to his right and added, “I apologize, Reverend Cashmore. This does not represent the good people of Port William. You know that, I hope.”

Frank Ramirez

Since Albert Einstein is considered the genius above all geniuses, he is often credited quotes he never said. (If Einstein said it, it must be true.) That includes the saying that insanity is defined as doing the same thing again and again and expecting to get a different result. Actually, it wasn't until the 1980's that he was first connected to that saying, but it doesn't matter who actually said it, because these three scriptures seem to validate the saying.

David Kalas

Seven years ago, our family moved from southern Virginia to northeast Wisconsin. As you might expect, spring comes later here. Fall comes earlier. And winter is a much different experience in northeast Wisconsin than it was in southern Virginia. The same temperatures that seemed bone-chilling in Virginia are good reason to leave the mufflers and mittens at home in Wisconsin. Of course, many of the retired folks in my congregation here take their cue from the geese and fly south for the winter each year.